Colonel Blides Cask Ale - Cricket Hill Brewing Co.

KickbacksSteve

Florida

3.18/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a Unibroue tulip. Small head with low retention. Little to no lacing. Hazy, dull copper body. Aroma is mainly rich in caramel malt and brown sugar. Taste is mildy bitter, caramel sweet, slight molasses and slightly spicy on the tongue. Good tasting beer, however not sure if it is supposed to taste like this, really wish there was a bottle date to check for freshness or some description on the label.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 05:33:05 | More by KickbacksSteve

GratefulJack

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%

04-02-2013 22:39:19 | More by GratefulJack

Omnium

Pennsylvania

3.64/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottle > Pint Glass
A - Pours a semi cloudy reddish orange color, big thick foamy head, great lacing.
S - Herbal yeast and malts, a medium grassy hop tone to it.
T - Taste close to its smell, a nice bitter taste with good malts to smooth it out.
M - Medium feel, decent lingering hop feel to ti.
O - This was a lot better than I was expecting, easily quaffable, with a good balance of flavors. Nothing extraordinary, but just good.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 00:13:14 | More by Omnium

oberon

North Carolina

3.51/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

My first Cricket Hill try.Pours into a standard pint glass a clear auburn color with a thin wispy white head atop.Some caramel toffee and butteriness mainly in the nose,no hop presence really to be had.Has a pretty nice feel to it with low carbonation.Flavors are somewhat fruity with a toffe malt base but not overly sweet,a smattering of earthy/leafy hops in the finish.This beer might be better served to be a little lighter in alcohol at 5.5% it's not a real sociable ale but it doesn't have enough "stuff" going on to grab over a more well hopped beer of the same size to be honest.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 21:11:39 | More by oberon

mdillon86

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

02-05-2013 00:47:01 | More by mdillon86

abcdefghijkyle

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

11-13-2012 07:06:23 | More by abcdefghijkyle

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Looks good. Taste is nice, but seems thicker than I would expect and a bit more "pale ale" than bitter. Still, it works, for the most part. I wouldn't hold it up against any productions from the other side of the pond, but it's a nice drinker.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 05:40:34 | More by RblWthACoz

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - A touch darker than your typical English bitter, looks more like a brown ale with a 1/2 inch of opaque colored head.

S - Well it does have a decent amount of hoppy bitterness. Next to that it seems to have very little English malt (herbal I kind of hate) and some biscuit malts.

T - To me it came off more as a pale ale. Balanced citrus hops and clean tasting malts with a touch of biscuit. I guess it could have used more english tea like malts to make it more of an ESB.

M - Light to medium easy to finish.

Overall nothing to go out of your way in finding but a pretty sweet cast ale found at your local six pack shop.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 14:59:28 | More by DrDemento456

WDJersey

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9.3%

07-27-2012 03:32:00 | More by WDJersey

rolltide8425

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

07-12-2012 21:39:34 | More by rolltide8425

metter98

New York

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is a relatively clear copper-caramel color and has a very slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin off white head that faded away a bit but left a collar of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of citrus in the nose along with some hints of toasted malts.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has a bit of citrusy flavors and a light amount of bitterness. There are notes of earthy and fruity yeast and toasted malts.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The color seems to be a bit darker compared to other beers in the style. The aroma could be a bit stronger, but it is quite easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 12:34:03 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a crystal clear copper caramel in color with a very light amount of visible carbonation. The beer has a quarter finger tall foamy off-white head that quickly reduces to a thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer, a couple of thick patches, and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Light to moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: The beer has a rather mild aroma with some light earthy hop notes and just a hint of citrus. There are some very light malt notes and overall the smell is well balanced.

T: The beer has a light amount of grainy malt body in the flavor and a lot more hoppiness than the smell would indicate. The hop flavors are both earthy and citrusy - I get more of a orange peel than lemon. The hop bitterness is not agressive and there is some caramel malt sweetness in the finish - overall pretty well balanced.

M: On the lighter side of medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly sticky and very light dryness in the finish.

O: This is a good example of the style, especially from the taste perspective - the bitterness is just the right amount and the proper flavor. This beer is enjoyable and I could likely have more than one, though I do not know that I would call it sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 22:12:06 | More by dbrauneis

jpd7374

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%

04-28-2012 13:28:28 | More by jpd7374

Chugs13

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

04-22-2012 23:51:47 | More by Chugs13

lvoutlawjlh

Nebraska

2.5/5  rDev -31.7%

04-14-2012 22:02:52 | More by lvoutlawjlh

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer is an orange-amber colored liquid, completely clear, with a slim white head. The aroma is faint...a little biscuity, bready malt, and just whiff of earthy hops. The taste, however, is more aggressive. Brilliant balance...cracker and bread-like malt flavor, backed very nicely with a solid malt bitterness. There is a touch of fruit...orange peel and apricot. The beer is a little more carbonated that I'd like, especially given the name 'cask ale'. Still, it's got a medium-body and is very easy to drink. Nice session brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 20:04:36 | More by Suds

djrn2

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -18%

02-02-2012 12:41:45 | More by djrn2

SFC21

New York

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%

01-29-2012 03:18:17 | More by SFC21

ATPete

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9.3%

01-18-2012 01:57:30 | More by ATPete

craigdb

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%

12-20-2011 17:24:41 | More by craigdb

deapokid

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%

12-04-2011 04:13:44 | More by deapokid

bacher468

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -18%

11-19-2011 12:21:32 | More by bacher468

jrutigs

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9.3%

11-16-2011 04:38:20 | More by jrutigs

richbrew

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9.3%

11-15-2011 15:33:11 | More by richbrew

Sipchue

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The flavors and aromas of beer (and food) trigger emotions and memories for me, just like music. Colonel Blides Cask Ale is one that does not disappoint. When brewing my own, one style I continually attempted to perfect was an English Cask Conditioned Ale. From time to time, I stumbled across a brewery that was offering a hand pumped ale, and always ordered it. This beer looks great. It's smell is awesome - it triggered that "ahhhh" in my brain that said "yea, this is good". It tastes very much like it should. A few too many bubbles, but when I let it warm slightly from the fridge temp, there were less bubbles and it became real. If you enjoy the style, this is definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 01:03:57 | More by Sipchue